The Other Montpelier: Historical Glimpses and Memories of the City’s Development along the River Valleys While many of the industries along the river valleys and the buildings they occupied are no longer there, images remain in photo archives and the memories of some of the city’s older residents. As a Montpelier native who has spent many years researching its history, I offer here some historical glimpses and my own memories of the city’s industrial past. By Manuel Garcia Jr. ermont’s capital city is a picturesque community nestled around the junction of two river valleys and the surrounding hillsides. It is the seat of state government and the legislature, having been the state capital since 1805. Beyond that, it has been the home of several insurance companies since the early to mid-nineteenth century. In this rural state, Montpelier has always been regarded as a small white-collar city, a status it retains today. Most of the neighbor- hoods appear well kept, with many homes receiving major renovations . Manuel Garcia Jr. lived in Montpelier for most of his life. He grew up on River Street and lived for many years on Berlin Street. Manuel belongs to several Cen- tral Vermont historical societies. He enjoys researching local history and sharing it with others. He now lives in Barre, Vt. Vermont History Vol. 88, No. 1 (Winter/Spring 2020): 57-79 © 2020 by the Vermont Historical Society. ISSN: 0042-4161; on-line ISSN: 1544-3043 58 . to preserve not only their own value but that of the entire community. The downtown is a vibrant place for residents, office workers, and non- residents, and the statehouse is the focal point for residents and tourists. Behind this idyllic image of Montpelier one can easily find the rem- nants of a rich industrial history much like most other Vermont com- munities settled in the early 1800s. In those early years the basic neces- sities to sustain life were of primary importance and in close proximity to peoples’ homes. Other types of industries soon followed to provide salable products and offer employment for local people. Mills were constructed from the time of the earliest settlement well into the nine- teenth century along the Winooski and North Branch rivers. In the nineteenth century the railroads connected the area to the outside world. The tracks were also set along this valley. This facilitated the transportation of material, whether manufactured or in unfinished form. During the middle of the nineteenth century, the major portion of manufacturing in Montpelier was along the Winooski River at the south end of Main Street, and along areas of the North Branch. Toward the end of the century and into the twentieth century, granite-manufac- turing plants were built easterly along the valley and into the Pioneer Street area. Residential neighborhoods were interwoven with all of the industry. It was not uncommon to have a granite shed as your neighbor across the street. That industry was a large employer and attracted people of various ethnic backgrounds who came to live in the city in the latter 1800s and much of the 1900s. Your nationality, whether it was Spanish, Italian, Scottish, or French, was generally a good indicator of the neigh- borhood you lived in. In this mix of commercial activity, the various sights and sounds could be heard. During the weekdays, there was the constant hum of all of the machinery. Regularly throughout the day you could hear the whistle of a steam locomotive chugging along the tracks. Also there was the traffic along both Berlin and River streets, which since 1927 were part of US Route 2 through the city. While many of the industries along the river valleys and the buildings they occupied are no longer there, images remain in photo archives and the memories of some of the city’s older residents. As a Montpelier na- tive who has spent many years researching its history, I offer here some historical glimpses and my own memories of the city’s industrial past. I grew up on River Street, an industrial section of Montpelier, where 59 . from the latter 1940s through the early 1960s I was exposed to the com- mercial activity along the Winooski River Valley. I have many memo- ries of the granite industry as well as of the smaller commercial estab- lishments that were essential to supplying the community’s needs. The entire area seemed to be alive with activity. There was no escaping the fact that the theme for life in this area was manufacturing, with its noise, pollution, and dust, in contrast to the quiet upscale neighbor- hoods north of the Winooski River. As a result I was always fascinated to explore the “sights and sounds” associated with my surroundings. Montpelier’s Early Years In 1787, when Col. Jacob Davis came into the area that would ulti- mately become the Village and in 1895 the City of Montpelier, he cleared land and built a log cabin near the confluence of the Winooski River and its North Branch. Davis’s reasoning was that travel would eventually go through the valleys and that location would have more potential for commerce and growth.1 In addition to clearing the land to grow crops and raise animals to sustain his family, and authorized by a vote of the Montpelier proprietors in January 1786, Davis started the first local enterprise by erecting a sawmill on the falls of the North Branch of the Winooski River in 1788. The following year he con- structed a gristmill at this same site.2 This was the beginning of avail- able material for shelter and food produced locally to support the needs of people moving to the area. In the following years, business owners built various mills not only on the North Branch but also along the Winooski River. Until 1899, the river was the boundary between Montpelier and the town of Berlin, and mills along its banks at the falls west of the Main Street Bridge therefore occupied land in both towns and served the area’s growing population. Berlin’s northerly border with Montpelier was just south of the Win- ooski River. Many people on the Berlin side of the valley felt stronger ties to the nearest village. The roots of a secession movement began as far back as 1858; however, not until February 1, 1899, did the annexa- tion become a reality. Annexation would mean a northerly part of Ber- lin would become part of the City of Montpelier. The city authorities had concerns at the time that the number of pauper families in Berlin included in the move would become their responsibility. Eventually, as a result of a decision from the Vermont Supreme Court, Montpelier inherited the paupers that were on the Berlin side.3 The first published image of Montpelier (1821) was made by Sarah 60 . Figure 1. Woodcut based on the Sarah Watrous view of Montpelier, 1821. All images for this article are available for viewing online at: DigitalVermont.org/IndustrialMontpelier. Watrous. Figure 1 is a view looking north from the hillside south of the Winooski River. It shows the falls on the river, which appear to have been formed into a dam to supply water power to the buildings on either side. This ren- Figure 2. Red Arch Bridge from Berlin side dition also shows the of the Winooski River, c. 1890. trestle-type bridge cross- ing the Winooski River just east of the dam. Elijah Paine’s turnpike ran from East Brookfield to Montpelier to the north end of this bridge, where there was a toll house. Dependable access to both sides of the river was of vital importance to the area’s economy. The bridge was prone to washouts and was replaced in 1826 with a covered bridge known as the Red Arch Bridge that crossed the river in a single span. That bridge remained in place for seventy-two years (Figure 2) until replaced with a steel truss bridge in 1898. Fire destroyed Col. Davis’s sawmill and gristmill on the North Branch in 1826.4 Other businesses in this vicinity included a woolen fac- tory, also destroyed by fire in 1826, and another woolen factory that was started in 1837. This company employed twenty to thirty workers 61 . and was later converted into the largest lumber manufacturing estab- lishment that ever existed in town. Various other mills operated at the falls on the banks of the Win- ooski River. As early as 1805, references indicate the existence of a linseed oil mill, a paper mill, a cotton factory erected in 1810 that man- ufactured cotton sheetings and cotton shirtings, a sawmill, and no fewer than four gristmills. James R. Langdon operated a notable grist- mill in its day, which “had the capability of producing 250 barrels of flour daily” and was in business for several years.5 Many of these struc- tures were eventually consumed by fire or damaged or, in one case, completely carried away by floods. In addition, there were two tanneries, one located adjacent to the North Branch on Cummings Street and the other on the south side of the Winooski River on Northfield Street.6 Other areas of early industrial development were Wright’s Mill on the North Branch approximately three miles north of Montpelier Village,7 and Daggett’s Mills on the Winooski River in what would later become the Village of East Montpelier. In 1839 Mrs. Nathanial Davis, a relative of Jacob Davis, established a large woolen mill that employed many people on the falls of the Kingsbury Branch in North Montpelier.